EMMERDALE is the soap winner when it comes to house prices, with property values in the Yorkshire Dales soaring by 714 cent in the past 20 years.

In the heart of the Dales, house prices in Emmerdale have increased by 4,290 per cent, from £4,689 when the soap was first broadcast on October 16, 1972, to £205,847 last year.

The annual average growth since the start of the series is 13 per cent, according to Halifax Estate Agents, which conducted the research.

In second place was Brookside, where house prices have increased by 394 per cent during the past two decades, while the worst performers over the past 20 years include Coronation Street's Weatherfield and EastEnders' Walford.

With seven working class, terraced houses sandwiched between The Rovers Return and the corner shop, house prices on Coronation Street have increased by 335 per cent during the past 20 years.

The worst performing soap location was EastEnders' Walford, where house prices have only increased by 317 per cent, from £49,184 when it started on February 19, 1985, to £204,876 last year.

Colin Kemp, managing director of Halifax Estate Agents, said: "This light-hearted look at soap operas shows that Emmerdale's proximity to Leeds and the Yorkshire Dales has fuelled the increase in house prices.

"Local amenities, such as the Woolpack, the village shop, Post Office and tea room have helped to make it an attractive place to live."